First of many residents to be evicted from Millers Point homes and removed by police

A STAND-OFF is underway today between police and residents at prime real estate with Sydney Harbour views. The government wants to sell homes for $500m but residents aren’t budging.

THE first forced eviction of a resident in Sydney’s prime real estate hotspot Millers Point is expected to today see a 57-year-old man dragged from his home by police through a barricade of protesters.

The group of protesters, led by unions, have positioned themselves on Peter Muller’s veranda and blocked access to the door of his High Street home in anticipation of the sheriff’s arrival to evict him today.

Mr Muller, who has lived in the area just by the city side of the iconic Harbour Bridge, for almost two decades told news.com.au that he and many others were prepared to go to jail for “passively resisting the sheriff”.

Mr Muller is a part of a fight being waged to protect one of Sydney’s oldest and most historic neighbourhoods as the entire community of public housing faces eviction.

The anticipated forced removals come following the NSW Government’s 2014 announcement of the biggest sale of public housing in Australia’s history in a bid to raise up to $500 million.

At the time the government said the average annual maintenance bill for a Millers Point house, some which are heritage listed, was high compared to homes in other areas.

The Department of Housing says it has provided homes for elderly and vulnerable social housing residents of Millers Point and The Rocks to live in following the mass sell off of state-owned properties to public buyers. Photo: Adam Ward

The view from 5 Lower Fort St, Millers Point. Picture: Craig Wilson.

It claims that for every house sold in Millers Point, three houses can be built in many other suburbs in Sydney.

The decision has seen almost 500 vulnerable and elderly residents evicted from their homes in Millers Point, Dawes Point and the iconic Sirius building amid what residents have described as a political game of money, greed and power.

Most of the area’s public housing residents have already been relocated to Department housing all over NSW. But a core group of about 12 residents has so far refused to leave.

Mr Muller is expected to today be the first member of that group to be forcibly removed by authorities after being served an eviction notice by the NSW Housing Appeals Tribunal about 28 days ago.

Peter Muller told news.com.au he was prepared to “go to jail” over refusing to leave the home he has lived in for seven years.

Protesters gather outside a home in the Sydney suburb of Millers Point on Tuesday, May 9, 2017. Led by unions, the group stood on the veranda and blocked the door to Peter Muller's home in anticipation of the sheriff's arrival to evict the 57-year-old who has lived in the area for 20 years.

He was this morning joined by about 100 protesters, including former tenants, who turned up at his address and formed a blockade to stop authorities reaching his door.

“After me, all the remaining Millers Point tenants are ages pensioners,” Mr Muller said.

“We are trying to get the Department of Housing and our premier Gladys Berejiklian to review and ideally rescind the total social cleansing of Millers Point, of working people.

“Workers still need homes in this city. If we lose homes, it’s going to affect future generations of workers.

“We’d like them to consider leaving 120 homes on some sort of 99 year social housing lease and that would be all of Sirius and at least 40 of these 1-2 bedroom workers cottages.”

Mr Muller said living in the city close to work opportunities had “kept (him) and many others off Centrelink benefits” because he was able to maintain his job.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on paying the market rate and more than those on pensions or Centrelink,” he said.

“We always felt good about that as we were supporting social housing as well as it supporting us.”

He said he pays about $150-220 per week in rent which is about 25 per cent of his income.

“There’s no other affordable housing available in Sydney,” he said.

A Department of Family and Community Services spokesman told news.com.au that Mr Muller “gave a legally binding commitment to move out and was allowed until 28 April to organise his move”.

“He has failed to move out,” the spokesman said.

According to FACS, Mr Muller is “not entitled to public housing” and will today be evicted from the NSW Government-owned property.

“He part owns a property in the Southern Highlands, which he says he visits sometimes at weekends,” the spokesman said.

“He is also self employed as an electrician.

“Forced eviction is a last measure, used in this instance when all other avenues to achieve a fair outcome had been exhausted.”

The sheriff was due to arrive at about 9.30am on Tuesday but was still a no-show almost three hours later, Maritime Union of Australia Sydney branch secretary Paul McAleer told the crowd.

“We’re here today to ensure that no sheriff, no state government, no politician can throw someone out into the street,” Mr McAleer said.

NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge said it was not surprising the sheriff hadn’t shown up in the face of the protests, and was probably waiting for people to leave before trying to evict Mr Muller.

“Anyone who is still here at lunchtime, together Paul and I, will shout you lunch ... we’re not going anywhere,” Mr Shoebridge told the crowd. “Sydney is for everyone, young, old, rich and poor. This is our city and we are going to stand here and defend it,” he said.

Mr Muller originally lived in a boarding house in Lower Fort Street but was moved by the Department of Housing to his current abode when it was sold.

The electrician has spent the past seven years in public housing at 32 High Street, Millers Point.

But he is likely to become homeless at some point today.

“I’ll end up sleeping in my car out the front and couch-surfing with locals because I refuse to leave the area over this injustice,” Mr Muller said.

“120 years ago, the Stevedores fought for and won this affordable housing for Sydney’s city workers. This NSW Government is the first landlord we have had to turn its back on its people and move to sell off the right to decent, affordable housing close to the city.

“We’ve got a lot of people that are homeless and let down by Housing NSW as it’s selling three times more than what they’re building.

“They should have built more houses first before throwing people out.”

According to the Millers Point Community Working Party, there are currently several vacant one-bedroom properties available in the area, that have been on offer for over 15 months to local tenants, one of which Mr Muller says he would gratefully accept.

But, according to him he earns a few thousand dollars more than the $31,000 threshold and is subsequently ineligible.

“It’s time for the NSW Government to revisit their social housing policy,” he said.

“I don’t want to be left to the charity of the community with couch surfing on people’s lounges. I want my own home and I want to keep this home.”

A FACS spokesman said Mr Muller’s eviction follows “months of consultations between the tenant and Housing staff, where he was provided with practical advice and support to secure a rental property in the private market, including the offer of a fortnight’s temporary accommodation to help with his transition”.

According to the spokesman, the sale of government-owned properties in Millers Point, has already resulted in over 750 new social housing dwellings completed or under construction in NSW.

Originally published as First of many residents to be evicted from Millers Point homes and removed by police